Card index



June 18, 1946. -A. M. SORIA ETAL 2,402,301

CARD INDEX Filed June 10, 1944 4-Sheets Shee t.1 I

A be.'r+o Mario scrim -Q I-C'elesia.

June 18, 1946. A. M. SORIA ET AL 2,402,301

' CARD INDEX Filed June 10, 1944 4 sl leets-sheet 2- I WW A\bev+o 'MQY l o sori a, Raquel Celesicx.

June 18, 1946. so ET AL 2,402,301

CARD INDEX Filed June 10, 1944 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 Patented June 18, 1946 CARD INDEX Alberto Mario Soria and Raquel Celesia, Buenos Aires, Argentina Application June 10, 1944, Serial No. 539,715 In Argentina April 29, 1944 3 Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in card indexes, and particularly to card index systems of the so called visible type.

Several card index systems of this type are known, but they are generally based on panels provided with guides, and while they enable the ready slidable adaptation of the card holders, the insertion or removal of intermediary cards, so frequently required in using such systems, is rendered difficult.

In order to overcome such diificulties, some manufacturers have proposed devices which are detachably linked to each other in a chain-like fashion, and while such devices achieve the object of enabling the interpolation at will of any number of intermediary cards, the arrangement is not entirely satisfactory, inasmuch as it requires the use of special card holders, apart from the hooking or link elements. Since the hooking elements or links are incapable of rotating, it is necessary to provide card holders having means for attachment to said links and also lines of rotation, apart from the corresponding means. for receiving the cards, thereby involving a complicated construction as Well as a volume which is several times that of the cards proper.

The present invention aims to overcome the above mentioned drawbacks in a very simple manner. For this purpose, the invention comprises an attachment provided with hooking means and also with means for securing same to the cards, in such a manner that the card will remain hinged relative to the mount aiTorded by the attachment.

For this purpose, the attachment is constituted by two pieces. one of which is provided with hooking elements or links, While the other piece is attached directly to the card, by means of a clip or other suitable device, and inasmuch as both pieces are hinged together the card will remain hinged so as to operate as a flap.

Apart from the above, the invention contemplates other objects, among which is the provision of a card index wherein the cards are directly linked to each other.

A further object of invention. is to provide a card index having improved attachment elements which may be applied either to card holders or di rectly to the cards. 7

A still further object of the invention is to provide means enabling the insertion, addition Or removal of any card or cards in a very simple manner.

A. still further object is to provide means for locking a card index for they purpose of avoiding th unauthorized removal or addition of cards.

Other objects and advantages willbe'come apparent from the course of the following description.

In order that the invention may be more clearly understood and readily carried into practice, same has been illustrated by way of example and in a preferred embodiment in the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of. the attachment acting both as a hooking element and hinge.

Fig. 2 is a view showing the manner in which a modified form of clip i attached to a card.-

Fig. 3 is a view showing the manner in which the attachments supporting the cards are linked to each other.

Fig. 4 shows an attachment similar to that of Fig. 1, but provided with teeth for the purpose of securing a better grip to the card.

Fig. 5 is a view showing a somewhat modified attachment, wherein instead of a clip, the at tachment is provided with a perforation adapted to receive a. rivet which will permanently attach same to the card.

Fig. 6 is a perspective front view of a card in- Y dex constituted by cards provided with attachments in accordance with the invention. 7

Fig. '7 is a profile view of the card index of Fig. 6 showing the hinging of the pieces forming the attachments.

Fig. 8 is a side view of the card index showing the manner in which any of the links may be unhooked in order to insert one or more cards.

Fig. 9 is a front view of the card index provided with safety rods.

Fig. 10 is a cross-sectional view of the card index, taken along the line NN of Fig. 9 and Fig. 11 is a side view of the card index of Figs. 9 and 10, showing the manner in which the links are locked by means of side rods.

The same reference characters are used to indicate like or corresponding parts or elements throughout the drawings.

As may be seen from the drawings, the attachment device is constituted by two pieces a and b hinged to each other by means of ahinge in such a. manner as to be capable of being displaced from their folded position to a position where both piece remain on the same plane, as shown in Figs. 1, 2, 4 and 5..

Said piece a is provided. with lateral extension forming. an eyelet 2 and an ear The eyelet 2 is provided with an elongated eye 2 so as to receive the ear 3 of a further similar piece a. Thus, the eyelets 2 and the ears 3 will constitute hooking elements capable of linking together a succession of pieces a, as shown in Figs. 3, 6, 8 and 11.

In the embodiments of Figs. 1, 2, 3 and 4, the piece b is provided with a U-shaped slot 4 made by punching or the like. Thus, the portions 5 and 6 of said piece 12 will constitute a clip for attachment to the respective cards.

In the embodiment of Fig. 4, either or both of the portions 5 and 6 constituting the clip are provided with teeth 1 which will pierce the card to which the piece I) is attached, thereby preventing said piece from sliding or moving on the card.

In the embodiment of Fig. 5, instead of the U- shaped slot, the piece b is provided with a perforation 8 suitable for receiving a rivet or screw 9 so as to permanently attach the card 0 to said piece b.

The card 0 may be constituted by the index card itself, or by a card holder. Each card 0 is mounted on a pair of attachment devices of the type illustrated in Figs. 1, 4 and 5, and for this purpose the upper ends of the card 0 are attached to the respective pieces b by means of the clip constituted by the portions and 6 thereof, or else by means of rivets 9 in the case of the embodiment of Fig. 5.

Once each card 0 has been provided with a left-hand attachment device and a right-hand attachment device, as shown in Fig. 2, it will be sufficient to couple the pieces a of each card 0 in series, to link them in a chain-like fashion, as shown in Figs. 3, 6, 7, 8 and 11. For this purpose, the ear 3 of each piece a is hooked on to the eyelet 2 of the next piece a, which in turn will have its ear 3 hooked on to the eyelet 2 of the succeeding piece a, and so on until a pair of sub- .stantially twin chains are formed. Since each pair of pieces a. is hinged to a corresponding pair of pieces b, notwithstanding this linkage each card may be freely displaced angularly through the rotation afforded by the hinging line corresponding to the hinges I, as graphically shown in Figs. 6, 7 and 8.

Generally, the card index will comprise a panel d the upper end of which is provided with a pair of supports I0 having eyelets I 0 to which are hooked the ears 3 of the first pair of pieces a of the series, whereby the entire series will depend from the hooking of the first pair of pieces.

Due to the distance between the ear 3 and the eyelet 2 of each piece a, each card 0 will overlap the subsequent one leaving a lower margin I I for the purpose of affording a visible index.

Due to the hinging of the cards 0, they may be readily displaced in sections or groups, as shown in Figs. 6, '7 and 8, for consultation or recording purposes.

Inasmuch as the linkage is strictly in series, it will be suflicient to unhook any pair of pieces a from the next pair, as shown in Fig. 8 to enable the insertion of additional cards by means of the respective pair of attachment devices carried by said additional cards, whereby the volume of the card index may be increased as required without the necessity of having to calculate beforehand the requirements for the future.

In certain cases, when it is desired to prevent the removal of cards, it will be necessary to provide safety elements such as those indicated at e in Figs. 9, 10 and 11. These safety elements e are constituted by rods of U-shaped cross section, as shown in Fig. 10, so that on being applied at the sides of the cards 0, they will screen the links 4 constituted by the ears 3 and eyelets 2 without preventing the angular displacement of the cards 0.

For the purpose, each of the rods constituting the elements e is provided at one end with an ear l2 which is engaged into the eyelet l3 of a supplementary support I4 disposed abovethe corresponding support l0, while at the opposite end said rods are provided with a finger 15, preferably fiat, capable of fitting in a depression IE of a sealing element 1. In Fig. 9, the supports H! are hidden behind the rods 6. The front surface of the finger IE will remain flush with the upper surface of the sealing element so that a seal l1, which may be of any suitable character may be adhered over said sealing element and finger 15, whereby any unauthorized removal or insertion of cards will be evidenced by the tearing of the seal. In this case, the cards 0 should preferably be attached by means of the rivet 9 which, as stated hereinbefore, will afford a permanent attachment.

Summarizing, the invention comprises a card index wherein the cards or card holders 0 are mounted on linking devices so as to remain in a superposed and overlapping series, the essential feature being constituted by the fact that each linking device is constituted by two pieces a and b hinged to each other by means of a hinge I. One of said pieces, piece b in the embodiment illustrated, is provided with means for attaching same to a card C, while the other piece is provided with hooking elements or links constituted by eyelets 2 and ears 3 located at the lateral margin of the piece I), in such a manner that said hooking means may be screened and secured by means of safety elements e without affecting the angular movement of the cards c.

It is evident that in carrying the invention into practice, several changes, modifications and adaptations thereof will occur to those skilled in the art without departing from the scope of the invention as clearly set forth in the appended claims.

We claim:

1. A card index of the type in which the cards or card holders are each mounted on a left and a right linking device coupled to the adjacent linking devices on which the other cards or card holders of the index are mounted so as to remain superposed and in an overlapping series, each linking device comprising two pieces permanently hinged to each other, one of said pieces being provided with mounting means for said cards or card holders, while the other of said pieces is provided at the border thereof corresponding to the external border of the respective card or card holder with two spaced lateral tongues, one bent in an angle to constitute an ear and the other also bent in an angle and provided with a transversal slot to constitute an eyelet adapted to receive the ear of the next following linking device, said ear and said eyelet constituting the mutual coupling means between adjacent linking devices of the card index.

2. A card index of the type in which the cards or card holders are each mounted on a left and right linking device coupled to the adjacent linking devices on which the other cards or card holders of the index are mounted so as to remain superposed and in an overlapping series, each linking device comprising two pieces permanently hinged to each other, one of said pieces being provided with mounting means for said cards or card holders, while the other of said pieces is provided at the border thereof corresponding to the external border of the respective card or card holder with two spaced lateral tongues, one of said tongues, located adjacent to said first mentioned piece, being bent at a substantially right angle with respect to the corresponding piece of said linking device to constitute an ear, while the other of said tongues, located remote from said first mentioned piece, is also bent at a substantially right angle with respect to the corresponding piece of said linking device and is provided with a transversal slot to constitute an eyelet adapted to receive the ear of the next following linking device, said ear and said eyelet constituting the mutual coupling means between adjacent linking devices of the card index.

3. A card index of the type in which the cards or card holders are each mounted on a left and a right linking device coupled to the adjacent linking devices on which the other cards or card 6 holders of the index are mounted so as to remain superposed and in an overlapping series, each linking device comprising a substantially fiat card holding piece permanently hinged to a coupling piece constituted by a flat strip bent into a higher and a lower stepped portion, said higher portion, permanently hinged to said card holding piece, being provided at the border correspondingto the external border of the respective card with a lateral tongue bent at an angle to constitute an ear while the said lower portion of said coupling piece is provided with a lateral tongue bent at an angle and having a transversal slot to constitute an eyelet adapted to receive the ear of the next following linking device, said ear and said eyelet con stituting the mutual coupling means between adjacent linking devices of the card index.

ALBERTO MARIO SORIA. RAQUEL CELESIA. 

